The present invention relates to a steering and braking control system for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system utilizing the steering wheel to accomplish both the steering and braking operations of the vehicle. Specifically, the present invention relates to a system wherein the steering is accomplished in a normal manner by the operator, but the driver need only push forward on the steering wheel to accomplish the braking operations.
Recently, Federal and State governments have made major strides to allow disabled individuals, such as paraplegics, to pursue occupations of their choice. A paraplegic may suffer paralysis of the lower half of his/her body involved with the movement of both legs which prevents his/her driving of a typical automobile and, thus, hindering his/her entrance into the work force. Although the paraplegic may be lacking in strength of his/her lower half of the body, more than likely, the paraplegic develops superior upper body strength, to more than compensate for their disability. It is desired that automobiles be provided having operator control systems that make use of the paraplegic""s upper body strength and do not require the use of his/her legs.
Automobiles that employ control systems that do not require the use of the operator""s leg to control the automobile, such as to perform braking operations, are known and some of which are described in U.S. Pat. No. 656,962 (""962); U.S. Pat. No. 2,471,244 (""244) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,117,649 (""649), all of which are herein incorporated by reference. The ""962 patent discloses a system having a single device that is used to control the steering, acceleration, and braking of the vehicle, but this device is a bar handle which has limitations, especially, in the steering aspects of the automobile by present-day drivers who are use to the handling provided by a steering wheel. The ""244 patent uses a primary steering wheel to accomplish the steering of an automobile and which coacts with an auxiliary steering wheel to assist in the braking operations of the automobile, but the operator""s usage of two devices to control one automobile may disadvantageously cause the operator to lose the xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d of the operating characteristics of the automobile. The ""649 patent discloses an automobile that has a single handle to control the principal operations of an automobile which are the steering, acceleration and braking. However, the usage of a single handle to control an automobile has limitations, especially as mentioned for the ""962 patent, to one who is accustomed to steering an automobile by the use of a steering wheel. It is desired that a control system by provided for an automobile that does not require the use of the legs of the operator to accommodate the braking operation but does not suffer from prior art limitations.
In addition to the desires of the handicapped individuals, a non-handicapped person may also desire a control system that does not require the use of his/her legs, especially, if it allows for a system that more readily controls the automobile. This enhanced control system provides continuous control by the driver with his/her hand always on the steering wheel. Such control allows this system to be used for racing cars as well as in less vigorous recreation endeavors, such as in the use of golf carts and conventional automobiles. It is desired that a control system for all types of motorized vehicles be provided that enhances the handling of the vehicles which does not require the use of the legs of the operator.
The control system disclosed allows a paraplegic having paralysis of the lower half of the body to operate a motorized vehicle safely and securely, even in racing cars in competitive races.
The control system disclosed does not require the use of legs of the operator but does include a steering wheel operating the control system, which may be adapted to various vehicles, including motorized devices such as racing cars, automobiles, wheelchairs, or golf carts.
These and other objects of the present invention as well as advantages thereof over existing prior art forms will be apparent in view of the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying claims.
The present invention is directed to a system for operating an automobile that does not require the use of the legs of the operator, yet provides a system that is readily accepted by all users and leads to enhanced operator handling capability. The present invention is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 08/862,128, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,776, which is a continuation in part of the parent application Ser. No. 08/544,676, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,857, both incorporated by reference herein.
The arrangement of the control system allows the operator to steer the vehicle with the steering wheel and the operator needs only exert a force on the steering wheel to cause the brake pedal to be forced downward and arrest the motion of the vehicle in a controlled manner without the necessity of the driver""s hands leaving the steering wheel.